The Liu Family Stone Archway

　　Located on the east side of the intersection in Xuguangzhuang Village, Baifutu Town, Chengwu County, it is an all-stone structure in a four-pillar, three-gate, three-story style, built in the 60th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1795 AD). The base measures 9.0 meters in length, approximately 9.3 meters in height, and 2.5 meters in depth. The central gate is 3 meters wide, with two smaller side gates each 1 meter wide. Each of the four pillars is reinforced by two stone columns, topped with carved stone lions. The central gate features three crossbeams adorned with exquisite carvings. Between the beams hang two long plaques inscribed with “Imperial Praise for Chastity and Filial Piety” and “Erected by the County to Honor Madam Liu, Wife of Local Scholar Xu Ge, for Her Chastity and Filial Piety.” Below the archway eaves hangs a finely carved plaque inscribed with the words “Imperial Edict.” The sides of the archway feature identical carvings and are inscribed with four pairs of couplets: “Inspiration descends with white cranes; loyal spirits shine through time on black crowns”; “Filial devotion reaches the imperial court, the vermilion brush shines with virtue; honor graces the daylily, fragrant orchids and osmanthus bloom”; “Gusty winds test the sturdy grass; even cold moonlight embraces the towering pine”; “White-haired yet chaste, the pine defies frost with enduring resolve; young and resolute, the bamboo soars to the clouds, its integrity ever higher.”

　　The archway suffered some damage in the 1970s. Although now partially ruined, it still retains significant artistic and aesthetic value. In 1992, it was designated as part of the second batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units by the Shandong Provincial People's Government.

　　Source: Heze Municipal Office of Local Chronicles